


Life is Unfair

by AtomicRaven



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, William is alive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2018-12-18 14:46:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11876757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtomicRaven/pseuds/AtomicRaven
Summary: Max Caulfield and Chloe Price have always had each other's backs, but an unexpected death within the Caulfield family will change everything.





	1. A Change of Fate

**June 10th, 2008**

"Here we are, Chloe," William said as he parked the station wagon. "Now I trust that you'll behave yourself."

"I will, Dad. Cross my heart!" Chloe said ecstatically.

"Well then, I guess I have no other reason to keep them waiting." He said, unlocking the car doors. Chloe jumped out and waved to William's car as it rounded the corner of the street. Wasting no time, Chloe ran up to the house she's seen a thousand times before, knocked on the door and waited. As she was about to knock on the door again, the door opened, revealing a small, freckled brunette. Max.

"Chloe!" She said, hugging her. "I was wondering when you would get here!"

"Hey, Maximus!" Chloe said, happily returning the hug. "Dad literally just dropped me off."

"Well then what are you waiting for, come on in, Che!" She said, clasping onto Chloe's hand and guiding her into the home. "My Dad went to pick up my Mom from work. They should be back soon." Chloe had been to Max's house before, but not as often as Max coming to Chloe's. Max pretty much knew the whole layout of Chloe's house, while Chloe knew so little, she would probably get lost in the front hall had Max not been her personal guide.

As Max reached the final banister of the staircase, they turned off into her room. Max's room was much smaller than Chloe's, almost in the shape of a perfect cube. On the peach-colored walls were hundreds of posters ranging from movie posters to posters of indie bands. In the right corner of the room was Max's bed, with a dresser sat right next to it. A small desk sat near the window, similar to Chloe's room, although not as cluttered. Chloe couldn't help but notice the Polaroid camera sat on the corner of the desk.

 _"Does Max have more photo's to show me?"_ Chloe thought, and as she finished that thought, Max came over with a small box. Max sat down beside her and opened the box, revealing hundreds of Polaroids. Chloe picked up one Polaroid, an action which made Max squeal with joy. It was a photo of the sun setting on the horizon, the Arcadia Bay Lighthouse sitting to the left of the picture while the sun cast a reflection onto the bay.

"Oh! I took that one a couple days ago! What do you think of it?" She said, beaming at the blond girl with her light blue eyes and a wide smile.

"It's beautiful, Max," Chloe said flabbergasted. "I'm starting to run out of original compliments to give your pictures." Chloe picked up another photo, placing the other one she just held in the box. "Oh wow! I really like this one!"

"Really?" she asked, confused by her friend's statement. The photo in question was at the beach, it encompassed the whole beach, facing towards the harbor, which could be seen in the foreground. The picture looked to have been taken at midday.

"Yeah! It's really good! It encompasses the whole beach, not just a select portion of it." Chloe said with an enthusiastic smile.

"Thanks, Chloe!" Max said hugging her best friend. This was the side of Max Chloe was so happy to see. When she showed her pictures to Chloe, she was always so eager to describe them to her.

"Man, I'm gonna miss you when you leave for Seattle," Chloe said. She looked up at Max, her expression now gloomy and sad. Yesterday, after Max told her she was moving to Seattle, Chloe had shouted at Max, told her to die among so many other statements she wishes she could take back now. Visibly cringing at the memory, Chloe sighed and continued. "Look, I'm sorry I freaked on you yesterday, I shouldn't have said any of that shit to you."

"I'll come and visit every Summer, I promise," Max said in a quiet tone, "I'll keep in contact, send you a text when I get to Seattle."

"I know, Max," Chloe said while hugging Max tightly. "Now, let's stop with this mushy stuff, your folks should be getting home soon." Max slid the drawer of her desk out and placed the box of photos into the drawer and closed it. Max and Chloe left the room, closing the door behind them.

* * *

It had been an hour since Chloe arrived at Max's house. Max was visibly worried, it usually took 10 or so minutes for her parents to get home from where her mom worked. Chloe saw this and put a reassuring arm around Max's shoulder.

"It's okay, Max. Maybe they're in traffic." Chloe said, trying to calm Max down. Though Chloe was just as, if not more anxious than Max. Chloe knew that Vanessa's workplace was close by. She couldn't help but think of what could be taking so long, whether it was traffic, or something much worse. Chloe pushed those thoughts back, she didn't want to worry Max anymore than she already was. Vanessa and Ryan both had sturdy jobs. Ryan worked at the lumber mill, while Vanessa worked at Pan Estates, a job she hated with all her heart. Suddenly the phone began ringing, startling Max. Chloe got up from her seat.

"Don't worry, Max, I'll get it." Chloe got up from her seat and picked up the handset. "Hello?"

"Chloe? Is that you?" It was Vanessa, a sorrowful tone evident in her voice. "I-Is Maxine with you?"

"Yeah, Max is with me," Chloe said, trying to hide her confusion at the sound of Vanessa's distraught voice. "What's going on?"

"Could you put her on the phone, please?" Vanessa sounded close to tears.

"Max, it's Vanessa," Chloe said turning her head to Max. She shot up from her seat instantaneously, moving to the phone and grabbing it in one swift action.

"Mom?" Max began, concerned. "Are you okay? Whats wrong?" She heard loud sobs on the other side of the phone.

"Oh, Maxine." Her mother said in-between sobs. "It's your father, Maxine."

"What do you mean? What happened, Mom?" Max was scared of what Vanessa would say next, she was beginning to panic.

"Maxine, I'm sorry, he's gone."

Max was frozen in place, visibly shaking. Tears began to flow from her eyes, there wasn't anything stopping this monsoon of feelings. Max placed the phone back on the hook and began wailing. Chloe rushed over to her, enveloping the brunette in a bear hug as she cried into her shoulder.

"Max, what happened?" Chloe asked as Max's grip tightened.

"C-Chloe, he's dead! Ryan's dead!" Max said, still crying into the taller girl's shoulder.

 _"Oh god, this can't be fucking real! Ryan? Why!?"_ She thought. Chloe was furious at the world at that moment, but she still cradled the brunette in her arms.

"Max, oh my god Max, I'm so, so sorry." Chloe tried desperately to retain her strength, but soon enough, she began crying as well.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I'm sorry for this being so short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I'll see you in the next one!


	2. Returning Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if any of you are confused as to why there are two chapters already. Initially, I posted this story on Fanfiction.net, and as such it will be updated first before the AO3 version. I have simply gotten the two chapters posted on the AO3 version so as to play catch up with the Fanfiction.net version.  
> Sorry for the confusion, now on with the story!

**Four Years Later...**

Max awoke from the nightmare, panting heavily as sweat coated her body. She looked around only to see her room. She stayed in her bed, trying to calm herself down.

 _"It's okay, Max. Just a bad dream."_ She thought to herself. Max looked at her phone, which was placed on her bedside table. 5:42 AM, just three hours before she would board a flight to Portland, and then it was just an hour-long bus ride to Arcadia Bay. She slowly got up from her bed, trying not to wake Vanessa or Eric, even though the latter was probably up by now, getting ready for work. Max went to the bathroom, closing the door behind her quietly enough to where it wouldn't disturb anyone. She twisted the faucet on full blast, cupping the cold water and splashing it on her face. She turned the faucet off, wiping her face off with a small towel. Leaving the bathroom, she walked down the carpeted stairs, on her way to the kitchen for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee if possible.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned left and headed through the family room. Eric was sat in his armchair, his eyes focused on his laptop, a cup of coffee on the small table next to him.

"Good morning, Eric." Said Max, which prompted Eric to look up from his laptop. A warm and gentle smile spread across his face.

"Ah, Max," He began, "How is your morning?"

"I just woke up, so I got that going for me." She replied, not wanting him to worry about her bad dream. Eric knew of her nightmares, but he didn't press the issue if she didn't want him to. "Is there any coffee left?" Eric let out a hearty chuckle.

"I'm no coffee fiend, Max." He said, readjusting his round-framed glasses. "The thermos is on the counter next to the toaster."

"Thanks, Eric." She said, nodding to him.

"Anytime, Max." Eric went back to his work, while Max continued to the kitchen. Sitting by the toaster was the coffee thermos. Grabbing a mug off of a nearby shelf, she poured the black liquid into the cup and closed the thermos tightly. She took a seat at the counter, looking out the window while drinking her mug of coffee. The sun hadn't peaked the horizon yet, so the sky was a dark shade of blue. Her Polaroid camera was upstairs, sitting with her luggage, and she didn't feel like digging through it to take some pictures, though the urge to do so was still there. Finishing her cup, she went over to the sink and cleaned it, then dried it off with a dishrag.

 _"Might as well get everything in order, now would not be an ideal time to fuck something up."_ Max thought to herself, remembering the time she forgot her spare clothes one summer. She passed Eric again, thinking he would simply be doing his work.

"Hey, Max?" Eric began, now looking at Max.

"Yeah?" She said.  _"Crap! Did he see through me?"_ Regardless of her panic, she kept a calm complexion.

"I just want to say, I'm proud of you for following your dreams." He said.

"Thanks, Eric." She responded. "It means a lot coming from you." Max finally waved farewell to Eric, who simply went back to his work. There were times when Max would've blown up at Eric, more commonly during the first two years of Ryan's death. Though Eric knew that Max was going through an even harder time than Vanessa, so he tried his best to help her. She eventually moved on from the accident and accepted Eric as her step-father. That didn't mean that the shouting matches stopped occurring, they had just stopped becoming a recurring theme for the interactions between Max and Eric. She made her way back up the stairs, almost colliding with her step-sister Dianna. Thankfully the two saw each other at the last second and stopped themselves.  _"Crisis averted."_  Max thought to herself.

"Shit, my bad, Max." She said, her ginger hair still suffering a brutal case of bed head.

"Why are you up so early?" Max asked, puzzled.

"Woke up around the same time as you, I think." Dianna began, tapping her index finger on her chin. "Dunno, just felt like getting up. Same goes for you?"

"Yeah," Max said plainly.

"Excited for Blackwell?" She asked, only for a sudden wave of realization to flood her face. "Wait, that was a stupid question, of course you're excited!"

"You know that better than anyone, Dianna," Max said with a smile.

"Tell Chloe I said hello." And with that, she continued down the stairs, probably to the kitchen. Max remembered when she and Dianna went to Arcadia Bay for the first time together. Chloe, oblivious to who Dianna was, actually thought she was Max's girlfriend. That was a year ago, a fun story to bring up at parties, and a story that Max and Dianna would make sure Chloe never forgets. Continuing to her room, Max began scanning the room for anything she might have missed, making mental notes for everything in her bags.

* * *

**Five Hours Later...**

Chloe waited eagerly at the bus station, sat atop the hood of her Mini SUV as the late morning sun beamed down. Max had left from Union Station in Portland two hours ago. Chloe was about to send Max a text out of pure boredom when a bus rolled up. A crowd of people left the bus, with the last being a petite brunette with freckles and brown hair, carrying two duffel bags slung around her shoulders and pulling a large rolling bag. Chloe rushed over to her, grabbing one of the duffel bags and the rolling bag from her.

"Thanks, Chloe," Max said, probably exhausted from hulking the luggage around.

"I bet baggage claim was a nightmare." Chloe joked, receiving a giggle from Max. "Welcome home, Max."

"You feel like helping me out?" Max pleaded, "Pretty please?"

"How can I say no to you, dork?" Chloe put the luggage in the trunk of the SUV. "So, you like my wheels?"

"A 2007 Ford Escape, I like it," Max remarked while inspecting the vehicle. "Though you know I like retro, so six out of ten."

"Oh my god, you're just like Warren." Max gave Chloe a look of confusion. "Warren is a geek who goes to Blackwell. Trust me, you'll like him." Chloe had come to praise Warren's genius intelligence which has saved her Science grade more times than she cares to mention. The two finally got into the car and set off onto the road.

"Dianna says hi from Seattle." Max started. Chloe let out a chuckle.

"That's the first time you've mentioned her without calling her your girlfriend," Chloe said, cringing at the memory.

"Only if you forget," Max comments with a small snicker. A few minutes passed before they passed a construction site for Pan Estates. Max and Chloe had the same idea and flipped off the construction site as they passed it. Max and Chloe let out a hearty laugh.

"I can see Nessie has taught you well," Chloe remarked. "Eric giving you shit for anything?" Max snorted at the thought. Eric trying to be strict, there was a funny thought.

"Chloe, you know Eric." Chloe just kept her eyes on the road. "He really wants me to succeed though, he's even been encouraging me to share my work."

"But have you?" Chloe asked, "Cause there is a strong difference between showing your work and saying you'll show it."

"Ease up, Che, I've been sending stuff around, hell it's the main reason I'm able to go to Blackwell!"

"And what did you get in response?" Max adjusted in her seat.

"Appraisal from some colleges in the Midwest, but nothing much other than that." Max began, "Plus, none of those schools have a photography teacher like Mark Jefferson."

"It's good to hear that, Max. I'm hella proud of you, Freckles." Chloe got a soft punch on the arm. Max dreaded that nickname. "Aw, must've hit a nerve."

"You ass," Max said, exaggerating a pout.

"A cute ass, though," Chloe said with an impish grin, earning another punch from a beet-red Max. The two continued driving through the scenic routes of the town, finding themselves parked outside the Price household.

"Here we are!" Chloe said as she and Max got out of the car. "You can leave your stuff in the car, me and William are gonna help you get settled in at the dorms." Max and Chloe walked up to the door. Max was about to hit the doorbell when the door opened, revealing William Price from behind the door.

"Max! Welcome home!" William exclaimed as he pulled her in for a warm hug.

"Hey, William!" Max said returning the hug with gratitude, "I missed you all so much!" William worked as a teacher at Bayside Elementary School, which wasn't surprising, considering that he was the kindest soul on the planet. While it wasn't the most interesting job in Max's perspective, he certainly loved it to no end. "Is Joyce still at Two Whales?"

"Not when you're here, Max!" Joyce called from inside the house, which made the three giggle. Max entered the house and had only taken a few steps into the breakfront before Joyce caught her in a hug, planting a kiss on her right temple. "Oh, Max, it's so good to see you." And with that, Max walked around the house she'd spent so much time in as a kid. Wave after wave of nostalgia washed over her for every single thing she saw inside the house, from the couch that doubled as a pirate ship to the infamous stain on the carpet.

"I'm guessing you guys don't keep wine around Chloe anymore?" Max joked, which made Joyce and William chuckle, while Chloe had a look of betrayal painted on her face.

"Let's not neglect the fact that you were the one who made me spill it!" Chloe remarked, folding her arms and pouting. The face Chloe made was a weird mix of Steve Buscemi and William Dufeau, and Max broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"I guess I can for sure call you Captain Sodium from now on." Max saw a grin spread across Chloe's face.

"Fair enough, Freckles," Chloe said, letting her arms fall to her side. Max was about to start a playground insult war before Joyce stepped in, playing the diplomat.

"Now now you two, play nice." Joyce interjected, "Or you ain't gettin' extra servings!" Joyce knew that in order to dismantle any argument between Chloe and Max, was to mention food. It worked every time. Max, Chloe, and William couldn't help but laugh.

 _"Life couldn't get any more awesome."_ Max thought to herself as she followed Chloe and Joyce into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: For anyone wondering, I intended for Chapter 1 to be a sort of dream that Max has, mainly to set up the plot for the whole thing, so Chapter 1 is more like the Prologue. Also, Dianna and Eric, You'll learn more about them later on, as the story continues.
> 
> Thank you all again for reading, and I will see you in the next chapter!


	3. Socialize

Max and Chloe ate lunch at the Price household. In doing so, they almost managed to drive Joyce mad by splashing each other while doing the dishes, making a mess. William dismissed them and gave Joyce a hand with the dishes, leaving the two girls waiting by Chloe's car.

"I got the last strike in, so I win by default," Chloe stated matter-of-factly.

"Who said I was going to alter the truth?" Max questioned, a small smirk growing across the brunettes face.

"Oh please. Max, you are aware that a Price never forgets," Chloe replied. "Even if you tried to lie, which you shouldn't cause you're god awful at it, I'd turn it back on you."

"You might be too late to be warning me about lying," Max remarked.

"Oh I have to hear this," Chloe said with a mischievous grin. Max let out a sigh before continuing.

"A month ago, I went to a party with Dianna, crazy, I know. Anyway, after the party, we went home, only to find Vanessa and Eric waiting at the door," Max chuckled at the memory, quickly resuming the story. "Dianna was super drunk, so when I tried to fabricate a story she just blurted out the truth. We got so busted." Chloe, who was desperately trying to contain her laughter, finally doubled over and started cackling.

"Oh my god, that's too much!" Chloe said in-between her bouts of laughter. "She knew you'd fuck up the lie."

"More like the booze knew that I'd fuck it up," Max grumbled. Chloe got up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I'm most certain that she had a gut feeling that you would fuck it up, drunk or not," Chloe said dusting off her jeans.

"Alright you two," William interjected, walking over to the two girls. "Are you ready to go?"

"Everything is in the wayback, we've just been waiting on you," Chloe said, pointing her thumb in the direction of her car.

"Great, let's get going, we've got a lot to move," William stated. Chloe would drive, while William would sit next to Chloe, leaving Max to sit in in the backseat behind Chloe. After the trio buckled their seatbelts, they departed in Chloe's mini SUV. Just as they pulled away from Cedar Avenue, an announcement came on the radio.

"This just in, Sean Prescott is buying more land south of town-" Chloe turned the radio off, denying the announcer from finishing the report.

"Un-fucking-believable," Chloe groaned. William simply glared at his daughter.

"The swear jar should be overflowing by now," William slyly remarked. Max snickered at the comment, earning a scornful glare from Chloe through the rear view mirror. "Be thankful though, we didn't put soap in your mouth." Vanessa had threatened Max with a bar of soap multiple times.

"You and Mom knew it'd be a waste of soap," Chloe joked, earning a chuckle from both William and Max.

"You keep thinking that, Chloe Eli-" William was suddenly cut off by Chloe slamming on the brake. A car had cut Chloe off, earning a middle finger and a blast from Chloe's horn. She exhaled and continued driving.

"You guys okay?" Chloe asked. William looked behind to check on Max, whose facial expression was anything but 'okay'. Her eyes were wide with fear, sweat trickling from her brow, she was shaking.

"Chloe, pull over, Max isn't looking too good," William said in a concerned tone. Chloe, upon seeing Max's face in the rear view, pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"Dad, could you drive?" Chloe began. "I'm gonna stay in the backseat with Max."

"Sure thing, Chloe," William replied. The two got out of the car, with Chloe moving to the backseat next to Max, and William sitting down in the driver's seat. Soon, William got the car moving again, while Chloe comforted Max.

"It's okay, Max, I'm here," Chloe said soothingly, wrapping her arm around the brunette and running her hand through her hair. Max was clinging to Chloe, her head resting on Chloe's shoulder. Max stayed like that for a good few minutes before finally loosening her grip on the blond girl.

"S-sorry, Che," She said quietly.

"Don't worry about it, Maximus," Chloe began. "Plus now I'm able to sit next to my best friend." The three let out a bout of laughter as they cruised down the street.

* * *

When they had reached Blackwell, there were several parking spots open to the surprise of William. Regardless, he took a spot which sat a few paces from the stairs to the quad. The three got out after William opened the trunk, revealing a plethora of boxes both small and large.

"Where do we start?" Max questioned, scanning at the packages. Chloe pulled out her phone, typed in a number and waited until the caller in question picked up.

"Hey, Warren! D'you think you could help me with something?" Chloe started. "No, it's not homework, more of a heavy lifting job." Chloe dragged on the phone call for a few more minutes before hanging up and turning to face Max and William. "Warren will be here in a few minutes."

"Wasn't he the geek you talked about at the bus station?" Max inquired. Chloe just smirked at her.

"Already got a crush at Blackwell?" Chloe joked, though that didn't stop Max from lightly blushing. Just then a guy with curly hair appeared. Chloe waved the guy over to them. "Over here, Warren!"

"Hey, Chloe!" Warren greeted. "Did you need help with something?"

"Well, for starters," Chloe began as she pulled Max to her side. "Max, this is Warren, Blackwell's Einstein. Warren, this is Max, Blackwell's newest shutterbug."

"Hey, Warren," Max said shyly, offering a handshake, an offer that Warren accepted. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Max," Warren said scratching the back of his neck.

"Anyway," Chloe interrupted. "We need your help in lifting some shit from my Escape to the dorms, think you can help us?"

"Of course I'll help," Warren said gleefully

"Great! Thanks, Warren!" Chloe chirped, picking up a medium-sized box. The three spent the next two hours hauling boxes to Max's dorm room. Max had dropped two boxes at one point, thankfully there wasn't anything fragile in them. Chloe snickered at Max's inability to hold onto the two boxes, an action that was instantly punished with karma not a few minutes later, with Chloe dropping a box on her foot. By the time the four were done, they were exhausted, panting like dogs on Max's floor.

"Well, that's done," William commented, still out of breath. "Chloe, do you mind giving me a ride home?"

"Sure thing, Dad," Chloe said while lifting herself off of Max's floor. "Warren, could you show Max around the campus in the meantime?"

"No problem, Chloe," Warren said. And with that, Chloe and William were gone, leaving Warren and Max in the room. "So, I guess we can start at the quad if you want."

"Might as well start somewhere," Max said, getting off of her bed. "Unpacking can wait." The two made their way to the quad, as Warren pointed out key areas such as the fountain/statue, the main building, the gym, and finally the parking lot. They sat down on the fountain after their little tour had concluded. "So Warren, where are you from?"

"Arcadia Bay, I assume you're from here too?" Warren asked.

"You already know me so well!" Max joked. "So, how do you know Chloe?"

"We sat next to each other in Science class last year," Warren began, readjusting himself on the fountain. "She wanted help with homework cause she had so much from other classes, she said that she didn't like Science." Max chuckled at that while shaking her head.

"Science is her favorite class actually," Max said.

"So afterward, we just started talking, cause class was gonna be over in a few minutes," Warren said. "We just talked about stuff, our interests, favorite TV shows, movies, y'know, that kind of stuff." Warren continued to drone on about his favorite shows, with Max listing off her favorites as well. Just as they were plotting a theory for Game of Thrones, an Asian girl with glasses and a ponytail with red highlights appeared. "Oh, hey Brooke!"

"Hey Warren," she began. "Do you think you could help me with something?"

"Of course, Brooke," Warren said getting up from the fountain.

"I don't think I've seen you around here, " Brooke said turning her attention from Warren to Max. "What's your name?"

"Max Caulfield," Brooke's face lit up when Max told Brooke her name.

"Oh, you're the girl Chloe kept talking about!" Brooke exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Anyway, I'm Brooke, Brooke Scott. Wish we could talk more, but I got stuff to do."

"That's fine, see you guys around," Max said waving goodbye to the two as they walked away from the fountain. Max walked back to the dorms after getting bored at the fountain. The Prescott Dorms, named in honor of a donation from Arcadia's resident snake Sean Prescott, always had people in its courtyard. From jocks practicing football to groups of kids gossiping about the latest rumor. Max didn't like being near large congregations of people, and so she gravitated towards a bench situated in a far off corner of the courtyard. It only had one occupant, a girl with her golden hair in a bun focused on a sketch pad in her lap. Just as Max was about to say something to the girl, she perked her head up and beamed a smile at Max.

"Oh, hello," The girl said, putting her sketchpad and pencil down next to her. "What's your name?"

"My name's Max," Max said raking hair out of her face. "Max Caulfield, how about you?" Max held out her hand towards the girl.

"Kate Marsh," She said, shaking Max's hand. "I'm new to Blackwell if that wasn't obvious enough." Max checked her phone for the time and figured now was the time to start unpacking.

"Sorry, Kate, but I gotta unpack. I'd love to talk later if you're up for it," Max said putting her phone away.

"That's alright, Max," Kate said picking up her sketch pad again. "I wouldn't want to trouble you."

 _"You never could, Kate,"_ Max thought as she waved goodbye to Kate. Max continued on to the dorms, reaching the second floor without much incident. That was until a cheerful voice came from behind her.

"Hey, you!" The voice said. Max panicked for a moment before turning around to see a tall brunette, her hair in a ponytail, wearing ripped jeans and a shirt that was a bit too revealing in Max's opinion. "Oh, sorry for startling you."

"Who are you?" Max asked, rightfully confused.

"Right, I'm Dana, Dana Ward," The brunette replied. "Chloe must've told you about me." Max then remembers the numerous times Chloe had mentioned the brunette in question.

"Oh, you're the 'dorm mother'," Max joked, earning a chuckle from Dana. "Look, Dana, I wish I could talk more, but I gotta unpack,"

"I can help you if you want," said the brunette as she looked towards Max's dorm room. "I saw you, Chloe and Warren lifting all that stuff up here."

"Yeah, that'd be great actually," Max, with Dana in tow, entered her dorm room which was packed to the rafters with luggage and cardboard boxes.

"Anywhere you wanna start?" Dana asked, scanning the room.

"Well, anywhere really, it doesn't matter where," Max replied picking up a box labeled "Clothes".

"You here for photography?" Dana asked, looking at the box aptly labeled "Photos".

"Yeah, got responses for my work from some colleges in the Midwest, but I didn't feel any attraction towards 'em," Max replied nonchalantly. Max could hear an audible sigh after she said that. "What?"

"Sorry, it's not you, it's someone else," Dana's tone sounded much more irritated. "Victoria has been talking up a storm about you, not in a good way."

"Given your tone, I take it you two are rather good friends," Max said sarcastically.

"She's just irritating to deal with," Dana said, getting back to sorting the boxes. "I hope that you don't have to deal with her."

"I hope so too," was all Max could really say. Of all the people at Blackwell that Chloe had told her about, Victoria usually came following either a rant about the Vortex Club or Nathan Prescott, but Chloe barely told her about who she was other than "Queen Bitch" or "Bitchtoria", which was probably for the best in Max's opinion. Max and Dana kept putting things away until it was only the photos which were left. When Max opened the box, the first photos she laid her eyes on was a picture of Ryan at Max's 10th Birthday. She grabbed it, taking a hard look at the photo. Tears started to lightly well up in Max's eyes, but she wiped them away, trying to calm down.

"Hey, are you alright, Max?" Dana asked, swinging an arm around Max's shoulder.

"Bad memories," Max said, setting the photo down.

"If you wanna talk about it, I'm here Max," Dana said, now rubbing Max's shoulder.

"I appreciate it Dana, but it's really personal," Max explained. "Don't take that this the wrong way, but I just don't feel comfortable sharing that side of me with you."

"No worries, Max," Dana responded. "I'll drop it, we're almost done anyway." Dana and Max put the photos up, the Polaroids on the wall next to Max's bed while the printed photos were hung up around the room in various nooks and crannies. Max thanked Dana for the assistance and plopped down on her bed, kicking off her converses.

 _"This is gonna be one heck of a year,"_  Max thought to herself, as she slowly drifted into slumber.


	4. Escapade to the Forest

The buzzing of Max's phone slowly brought the brunette back from dreamland. Her arm, still half-asleep, groggily slithered towards the phone, knocking it off of the end table.  _"Stupid arm,"_  Max thought to herself as she reached down to pick up the phone. It was 9:30 in the morning, but Max wasn't concerned about that since classes didn't start until tomorrow. The caller was Vanessa, Max quickly answered it.

"Hey, Mom," Max began, her voice not fully awake.

"Hello, Maxie!" Vanessa chirped, obviously more awake than Max. "Did you get settled in?"

"Yeah, Chloe and William helped me get my stuff into my dorm," Max confirmed. "Sorry that I didn't call yesterday, I was exhausted."

"No worries Maxine," Vanessa replied. How're William and Joyce?"

"They're great, Joyce is still working at Two Whales, and William still teaches at Bayside."

"That's good to hear. Anyway, have a good day Maxine, I don't want to hold you back from greatness."

"Bye, Mom," Max said, hanging up the phone. She slowly got out of her bed, the orange sunlight providing a natural light in Max's room.  _"Oh shit, Chloe probably bombarded my phone with a million and one texts while I was asleep,"_ Max thought as she raised the screen of her phone and opened the messages app. As expected, there were ten messages waiting to be seen from Chloe, ranging from tame to borderline freak out. Thankfully, according to the second-to-last, Dana had stopped Chloe before she went on a rampage. Then there was the final text message:

_**Chlo - Hey, Max! If you wanna go to Two Whales tomorrow hit me up! (10:40 PM)** _

_"So, Two Whales... Should've seen that coming,"_ Max thought as she began texting Chloe.

_**Max - Heck yeah, I'm down for Two Whales! :D (9:36 AM)** _

She didn't reply immediately, so Max figured that she was sleeping. Max changed out of her sleepwear into her normal outfit, blue jeans with a pink Jane Doe T-shirt and a gray hoodie, with her messenger bag at her side. After a quick check on her plant, Lisa, she was out the door and in the hall of the second floor of the dormitories. Despite being a day before classes began, there were still more students in the hall then Max would've expected. Max could swear she heard violin music coming from Kate's room, the door was left slightly ajar.

When Kate had finished playing, Max softly rattled on the door.

"Come in!" Kate called from inside. Max entered the room, which earned her a heartfelt smile from Kate. "Good morning, Max!"

"Hey, Kate," Max greeted. Kate's room was kept tidy and reminded Max a lot of her old room from when she used to live in Arcadia. "How is your morning?"

"Not bad, all things considered," Kate replied gleefully, placing the violin and bow back into the case. "I heard that Chloe was about ready to uproot the dormitory from its foundations yesterday." Max giggled at the thought.

"Yeah, that was probably my bad," Max said scratching the back of her neck. "Thank dog that Dana stopped her." Kate gave Max an inquisitive look at Max's statement but continued the conversation nonetheless.

"So, what brings you to my humble closet of a room, Max?" Kate asked resting her chin in her palm.

"Well we didn't really get a chance to talk a whole lo-" Max was cut off by her own squeal of joy when she noticed a bunny sitting in a cage placed near Kate's desk. Max cupped her hands over her mouth, trying not to disturb anyone still sleeping. Kate chuckled at the small a smile spread across her face.

"I see you've noticed Alice," she said, getting up from the couch and walking over to the bunny's cage, with Max following close behind. Kate carefully took the rabbit from the cage and cradled it in her arms. "You can hold her if you want."

_"Calm down, Max. Don't crush Kate's rabbit,"_ Max thought as she tried to contain her excitement. Kate placed the bunny in Max's arms, which mirrored how Kate held Alice. Max carefully held Alice with one arm while using her free hand to pet her, which caused Alice to melt in Max's arms and squint her eyes.  _"She's so fucking cute, Chloe would probably go full-on bear mama on this thing."_

"She likes you," Kate said, smiling again at Max. "Though I'm not surprised, you seem to be good with animals." Max's love for animals began with Bongo, Chloe's pet cat. Bongo loved Max, mainly because she was much calmer than Chloe, who was more jumpy and energetic than Max. A vibration from Max's pocket prompted her to give Alice back to Kate and pull out her phone to see the new messages.

**_Chlo - Great! I'll be there soon (9:40 AM)_ **

**_Chlo - OMFG NO EMOJI! (9:40 AM)_ **

"Let me guess, it's Chloe," Kate said with a smirk, Max simply nodded. "Well, have a good day, Max. I'm sure she has something planned."

"You have a good day too, Kate!" Max left Kate's room and continued down the stairs to the second entrance of the Prescott Dorms, which was just a quick flight of stairs away. As Max exited the dorms, the cool morning air filled her lungs. the courtyard had few people in it, there were two jocks who were passing a football back and forth, a group of students situated near a tree, and a man who Max assumed was a custodian. She kept walking down the path towards the quad. Max went over to the statue situated in front of the main building and sat down on the edge of the fountain. Max found this particular spot rather calm and serene, mainly because of the statue, which Max felt shielded her from negative energy.

Suddenly, Max heard something behind her. Looking behind her and up, she saw that a hawk had landed on the hand of the statue. Max got up from her spot on the fountain, the hawk's gaze was directed at Max as if it were pondering why she was idling there. Max pulled out her camera, steadied herself and took a picture. Oddly enough, the hawk didn't flinch when she took the photo. Max grabbed the Polaroid, waved it in the air for a few seconds and stashed the camera and the picture in her messenger bag.  _"Thank you for the photo op, bird of prey,"_ Max thought to herself as the hawk flew away. Another noise drew her attention away from the statue and towards the road in front of the quad; the noise came from Chloe's mini-SUV, which was parked at the curb.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Chloe shouted. Max jogged over to the car and opened the passenger side door, closing the door behind her and clicking her seatbelt into the buckle. Chloe pulled away from the curb and set off onto the road. "So, how was your morning?"

"Kate let me hold her bunny," Max beamed.

"Alice? Yeah, she's the second cutest thing on Earth," Chloe commented, which earned her an inquisitive glare from Max. "Second only to me, that is." Max snickered at that statement.

"Hey, Chloe?" Max began. "I gotta tell you something that has been bugging me."

"Go ahead, Max, I'm listening," Chloe replied, keeping her eyes focused on the road.

"Dana said that Victoria was talking about me," Max could see that Chloe was getting charged up, her gaze more intense, her knuckles turning white from her grip on the steering wheel. Thankfully, Chloe began to take deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.

"She's nothing to worry about, Max," Chloe finally said. "She's all bark and no bite. She'll just try to find a way under your skin, but your skin is so thick it would probably stop a bullet, so don't worry about her."

"I'm nowhere near as strong as you, Chloe-"

"That's bullshit, Max," Chloe interrupted, sounding appalled by what Max had said. "You went through so many challenges to get here Max, and you stayed strong throughout all of it." The car went silent for several minutes as Chloe made the turn onto Arcadia Bay Avenue. It stayed silent until they pulled up into the Two Whales parking lot. "Let's go, matey! Breakfast is dead ahead!"

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Max replied while saluting. Chloe and Max got out of the car and made their way into the diner. Unbeknownst to them was the hawk from earlier, which was waiting patiently on the roof of a nearby building.

* * *

After breakfast, the duo decided to go to the Lighthouse to sightsee, but also for Max to take pictures (as if that wasn't obvious enough). It was close to noon when they arrived at the Arcadia Bay Lighthouse Trail, the cool breeze of September made the trees sway. Chloe was further ahead than Max, who was taking photos of almost everything she passed. A tall fir tree with numerous branches, two squirrels chasing each other up and around the base of a tree, and a blue jay chirping on a metal fence.  _"Whoa, Caulfield, calm down. You keep this up and you'll run out of film,"_ Max thought to herself.

"Come on, slowpoke! You're taking forever!" Chloe shouted.

"Be up there in a few minutes!" Max called back, making her way up the trail again. The Lighthouse Trail was the most well-known place in Arcadia, and one of Max's favorite places to go. The first time she went there was when she was 4, sat on Ryan's shoulders as she watched the sun sink into the horizon. Since then, she's held the place as sacred and has made the trek up the trail to the lighthouse hundreds of times. Max walked slowly, taking everything in as she walked, holding her instant camera in both hands. The path curled around boulders and large trees, up to the familiar sight of the lighthouse, where Chloe was waiting. Walking towards the bench, she took a seat next to Chloe, who had one leg resting on her knee with her hands resting her head.

"This year is gonna be awesome!" Chloe said with a wide smirk growing across her face once more. "You don't know how happy I am knowing that you're going to be at Blackwell now!"

"Damn right, so long as I don't pull a Holden Caulfield," Max joked.

"Oh please, you couldn't be rebellious if you tried," Chloe stated plainly. "Remember when you tried to talk back to Joyce and she-"

"-Threatened to deny me extra servings and I started bawling my eyes out," Max sighed at the reminder of that memory, meanwhile Chloe was crying from laughter. "Hey, that was  _your_  idea!"

"It wasn't my fault that you went through with it!" Chloe retorted, still out of breath from laughing. "How has Seattle been treating my best friend?"

"Eric was busy most of the Summer with work, but we did manage to go to Mount Rainier again," Max said, looking out towards the ocean. The memories of Max's first trip to Rainier were the best of Max's life after Ryan's death. It was there that she felt happy for the first time in two years.

"Shit!" Chloe exclaimed, who was looking at her phone. "Crap, I completely spaced out."

"Whats wrong, Che?" Max asked puzzled.

"I was supposed to help Dad with something at twelve," Chloe said, resting her forehead in her palm. "Fuck, I'm such a tool."

"Then let's go! I can help you out," Max says grabbing Chloe's hand and hastily pulling her to her feet.

"Race you to the car!" Chloe said, shaking from Max's grasp and running down the path. That was until she heard a loud thud behind her. Chloe stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head to face the source of the noise, only to see Max lying on her back.

"Max!" Chloe called, running to the brunette. "Max, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Chloe, just a bit shook up," Max replied calmly, but her answer did little to calm Chloe down. Her eyes had widened in shock, a hand placed over her mouth. "Chloe, whats wrong?"

"Max, your camera," Chloe said with a trembling voice, pointing towards Max's bag.

In the dirt was Max's camera, broken and bent, with a shattered lens. Max's eyes widened in shock, then horror. She picked up the yellow camera, her hands trembling at the sight before her.

"No, no no! This has to be some sick dream right?" Max could feel her eyes sting as fresh tears began to glide down her cheeks. Chloe pulled Max into an embrace, letting the smaller girl cry into her shoulder. "No, this can't be real!" Max was clutching onto Chloe's shirt like her life depended on it.

"I'm sorry, Max, I'm so sorry," Chloe said, stroking Max's hair as the brunette continued to weep.

And watching from a branch was the hawk, who bowed its head, saddened by the scene.


	5. The Last Gift

Max had calmed down considerably by the afternoon, although her face still remained in the mortified expression it held not just a few hours before. She was sat down next to Chloe, who held her close, caressing her short brown hair while letting the small girl sink into her shoulder. Max did not say anything, her crying from the past few hours had taken almost all of her energy.

"It's okay, Max," Chloe spoke almost in a whisper. "Everything is going to be fine." Max just stayed silent, nuzzling into Chloe's shoulder. A brief buzz from Chloe's pocket distracted her for a moment, but she ignored it. She had bigger issues to worry about. Whoever was texting her could wait.

"Chloe, what do I do now?" Max whimpered. "My dad got me that camera, Chloe."

"Dammit Max, you can't beat yourself up like this," Chloe reassured, hugging Max tighter. "If anyone deserves to be blamed for this it's me, I shouldn't have challenged you to race down the path!" Max let out a shaky breath and buried her head further into Chloe's shoulder.

"No, Chloe, don't say that," Max said, her voice muffled by Chloe's shoulder. "You're such a good friend, you didn't do anything wrong."

"But I did, Max," Chloe replied, rubbing Max's back. "If it wasn't for my dumbass your camera might've not been broken. God Max, I'm so sorry." Chloe's tear ducts couldn't hold back the tears and they started flowing. It was just like four years prior, at Max's house the day that Max's life changed forever. When the Price's and Vanessa had found them, Chloe had been cradling the smaller girl in her arms, their eyes still raw from crying. It took some convincing from William and Joyce to get Chloe to relinquish her grip on the brunette. In that precious moment, Chloe and Max had come to realize how much they meant to each other.

Now that Max was back for studying at Blackwell, Chloe had a lot of thoughts she had previously pushed to the deep recesses of her mind; many of them regarding Max and what else she meant to her. Chloe wasn't the only one struggling with this debacle; Max had the same problem in Seattle, but her subsequent years of grief made her ignore these thoughts, thoughts that were now at the forefront of her mind as well. Chloe raised her head from Max's shoulder and had noticed that Max had passed out, likely by the emotional roller coaster she'd been on throughout the day. Chloe gently lowered Max's head onto the sofa, brushing some hair away from her face. Chloe got up from the couch slowly, pulling out her phone to reveal a missed text from Dianna. "Shit, I have to tell her about what happened," Chloe thought as she opened the text conversation.

Dia - Hey C, how's it going? (2:50 PM)

Chloe typed up a response, trying not to sound like an ass to Dianna, but her attempt was futile.

Chlo - Oh just fucking wonderfully, Max's camera broke. (2:51 PM)

Dia - What?! What happened?!

Chlo - Me and Max were at the lighthouse, she tripped on the way down and it broke. (2:53 PM)

Dia - How long ago was this?

Chlo - Happened around midday, she's sleeping now.

Dia - Okay, thank god. Look I gotta jet, ttyl. (2:55 PM)

September 21st, 2007

"C'mon, Mad Max! The ocean waits for no one!" Chloe shouted, giggling as she ran towards the waves. It was Max's 13th birthday, and unknowingly the last birthday she would see Ryan alive. Max had decided that she wanted to go to the beach with Chloe, accompanied by Vanessa and Joyce. When they arrived at the beach the sky was a light amber, with the sun hanging above the horizon.

"Coming, Che!" Max called back, galloping through the sand towards her friend, wearing a simple t-shirt and swim shorts. Chloe was wearing a multicolored bathing suit and had a large smile painted on her face as Max approached her. As the shorter girl came closer, Chloe splashed her with water, making Max yelp.

"Gotcha!" Chloe squealed with glee. Chloe moved further from the shore in an attempt to flee from Max.

"You cheater!" Max called back, giggling at the event before chasing after Chloe. Before they knew it the water was up to their hips, their movement slowed by the water. Chloe suddenly dipped beneath the water, startling Max. "Chloe?!" Max called out for her friend multiple times before the blonde rose from the water behind her, picking Max up in one swift action.

"You gotta be more observant, Max," Chloe joked as she held the brunette that was still wriggling and giggling in her grasp. Eventually, she put Max down, who basically lept to tightly hug Chloe. "Whoa, Maxaroni, you okay?"

"I thought you got sucked into a whirlpool," Max said in a worried tone. Chloe rustled her hair.

"It's okay, Mad-Eye Maxie, Captain Price isn't going to the depths that easily!" Max giggled at Chloe's statement, and the two resumed playing in the water. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Joyce were sitting in folding chairs underneath a beach umbrella with red stripes. The two mothers had told their daughters to go no further than the sandbar, Joyce especially making sure Chloe knew. Joyce was wearing sunglasses, her hands resting in her lap. Vanessa was reading a book, her legs crossed.

"God, it sure is wonderful outside, isn't it 'Ness?" Joyce asked, turning her head to face the other woman. Vanessa turned her gaze away from the book, placing her bookmark and closing the book, placing it in her bag.

"Yes, it sure is," Vanessa spoke in a tone that sounded somewhat forced, something Joyce noticed.

"You alright, hon?" Joyce inquired, taking off her glasses. "You sound a bit stressed. Everything goin' okay?" Vanessa exhaled before she began.

"Not really, Sean chewed me out for some bogus claim that I've been slacking around when I've been working my ass off," Vanessa spat. "I've been working weekends since I started working there, Joyce."

"That bastard don't got a clue what hard work is, probably hasn't done any of his own," Joyce fired back confidently. Given Joyce's tendency for sass, it's easy to see where Chloe got her brazen tongue from. Vanessa just looked on at the two girls splashing around, thankful that their minds were at least somewhere pleasant. Vanessa's mind, on the other hand, was a war zone. Constantly stressed by work and finances, all of which had been taking a toll on the otherwise youthful appearance of Vanessa.

"Joyce, me and Ryan have been thinking hard about our financial outlook, and it doesn't look good," Vanessa finally said after a few minutes of silence. "We're planning to move to Seattle."

Joyce looked at Vanessa in shock. "Does Max know?"

"Not yet, we haven't told her," Vanessa placed her palm on her forehead, exhaling deeply. "God, Joyce I'm at a loss, I want to leave but I don't at the same time."

"I hear you, honey, but if this is for the best, then it's for the best," Joyce replied calmly, resting her hand on Vanessa's shoulder. "You have to tell her, but not now. Give it time and break it to her slowly. I'll be sure to set something up for Chloe to visit over the summer or Max to visit us."

"Joyce you could be anyone's mother, you're so kind," Vanessa said smiling, looking genuinely happy. As the two finished their conversation, Max and Chloe slowly waltzed towards them, they were soaked, with water beading off of their wet hair.

"Mom?" they both said in unison towards their own respective mothers.

"Y'all gettin' tired?" Joyce asked smiling, the two girls nodded in response. "Alright, then let's head home." The four then spent the next fifteen minutes packing up the umbrella and folding chairs. When everything was packed, the group walked back to the car and drove away from the beach.

"Max? You awake?" a voice brought Max out of her dream, the face she barely recognized. She opened her eyes more and finally saw that it was William. "Good evening, Max. We were starting to wonder when you'd wake up."

Max rubbed her eyes and sat upright. "How long was I out for?"

"It's six in the evening right now, you fell asleep close to three," He responded plainly. "Chloe was wondering when you'd wake up."

"Where is she?" she asked.

"She went out to get Joyce from work, should be back in a few minutes," William walked towards the dining table. Max got up slowly from the sofa and walked over to the dining table as well, sitting down in a chair across from William. "I'm sorry about your camera, Max."

"I just can't believe I let it break so simply," Max's voice was still slightly hoarse, though she sounded better than before.

"I wouldn't worry about that camera of yours," he said, earning a scornful glare from Max. "Well, I mean, that wasn't the only camera he had."

"What are you talking about?" Max asked.

"Here, maybe this will help you," William revealed a camera and placed it in front of Max. It wasn't any normal camera, it was a camera that Max rarely ever saw. Ryan's camera. Max was shocked at the sight of the camera, carefully picking it up and examining it.

"Why do you have my dad's camera, William?" William sighed at the question and began to tell a story.

"A few months before Ryan died, he gave me the camera. Told me to give it to you when the time was right. I didn't know what he meant by that, but I figured this is the right time to give it to you."

"But why give it to you? Why not give it to Vanessa?"

"I don't know myself, but maybe he was worried you'd break it, or that Vanessa would get rid of it. Either way, it's yours now," Max had started to cry again, but this time, the tears cascading down her cheeks were of joy. She reached across the table and gave William a hug.

"Thank you, William," Max's voice shook. Max heard the door open and looked towards the front hall.

"Dad, we're home!" Chloe called out. "Is Max awake?" as Chloe rounded the corner, Max lept at Chloe and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey, Che!" Max exclaimed.

"Heya, Maxie-Pad! You feeling better now?" Chloe asked, wrapping her arms around Max and returning the hug. Max lessened her grip on Chloe and a large smile grew across her face.

"Never felt any better," Max gleefully replied. What began as a bad day had turned around in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize for the long wait, it's on me, and I'm truly sorry for making you all wait. It isn't because the chapter was hard to write, it was because I was lazy and procrastinated. It was very unprofessional of me and I'll do my best to avoid this from happening in the future.  
> Next chapter may introduce a new ship so stay tuned for that!


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